The Phenix Center for Sustainable Development held a brainstorming session to conduct a study on working conditions in the agricultural sector in Jordan and their alignment with Jordanian labor legislation and international labor standards.
The study aims to assess the degree of awareness of labor rights in the agricultural sector among stakeholders, in addition to diagnosing the reality of working conditions in this sector and the services provided to workers and small farmers.
The session was attended by a group of stakeholders, such as workers and employers in the agricultural sector, civil society organizations, the General Union of Food Industry Workers, and the Independent Union of Agricultural Workers in Jordan, in addition to representatives from the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Social Development, and the National Center for Agricultural Research.
The study is part of the Economic Development Project: Economic Empowerment of Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Jordanians in the Agriculture Sector, which is implemented with support from AFD, ACTED, Action Against Hunger, ACF, TDH, Phenix Center, Eco Consult, RSCN, and in coordination with the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) to promote economic empowerment and labor rights for vulnerable Jordanians, Syrian refugees, and children, particularly in Jordan's agriculture sector.
The project aims to promote decent working conditions and workers' rights in the agricultural sector, improve the potential for continuous income generation for agricultural workers instead of being limited to agricultural seasons only, and improve productivity and income generation through agro-ecological methods and income diversification among vulnerable small-scale farmers.
The project targets four governorates: Irbid, Ajloun, Balqa, and Madaba, and seeks to increase family livelihoods and resilience in the agricultural sector by improving productivity and diversifying incomes, as well as employability in line with labor market needs.
It also seeks to strengthen local capacities through training and facilitating policy dialogue with the public and private sectors, promote decent work and social protection by addressing working conditions in the agricultural sector, especially child labor, through economic empowerment, raise awareness and protection mechanisms, and facilitate the application of environmental and smart farming techniques and climate change adaptation approaches.